Mental Health Symptoms

It’s a sad fact that a quarter of the population will experience a mental health problem at any one time and yet many of us are still unaware of or choose to ignore the early warning signs of a mental health problem.

There are many symptoms of mental health problems which can also act as an early warning signal; however, just because you experience one or two symptoms it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a mental health problem.

The difference between what is considered perfectly normal part of the stresses of day to day life and a mental health problem is that symptoms of a mental health problem persist and interfere with your ability to carry out your normal daily routines.

Early warning signs or symptoms of a mental health problem

The following list represents some symptoms which could be associated with a mental health problem or disorder or an early warning sign of a mental health problem.

• Low moods most of the time or mood swings, sadness
• Sleeping too much to the point where you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning
• Sleeping too little which may involve lying awake at night unable to get to sleep
• Appetite fluctuations – eating too much or not eating enough with associated weight gain or weight loss
• Anxiety and stress
• Excessive fear and worry
• Persistent nightmares, particularly in children
• Inability to cope with normal daily routines
• Unexplained or vague physical problems
• Delusions or hallucinations
• Abuse of drugs and alcohol
• Confused thinking
• Emotional outbursts
• Aggression
• Disorganised thought patterns or bizarre behaviour or ideas
• Disinterest in social situations and social withdrawal
• Changes in personality
• Self harming
• Thoughts of suicide

Only a qualified physician will be able to take into account a person’s fully medical history and circumstances to diagnose a mental illness.

Types of mental illness

Mental health symptoms can manifest in any of the following mental health problems:

The important thing if you recognise mental health symptoms and suspect that you or something close to you is suffering from a mental health problem is to seek treatment as soon as possible. Without treatment the symptoms are likely to persist or get worse and the longer the treatment is delayed, the longer the recovery time. There is a higher risk of suicide.

Effective treatment is available and most people who do experience a mental health problem will go on to make a full recovery. Even those who don’t, with the right treatment and support, they will be able to regain control over their lives and achieve a better quality of life than those who don’t seek help.

Treatment will normally consist of medication or some form of talking therapy or a combination of both.

3 Comments

Hi
I have only just come across your website/blog and wanted to say just how good it is. I have read a lot of other blogs and sites on Mental Health issues, but this one stands out for me anyway as I find it is very clear and informative plus interesting and I can relate to it easily and I am so glad that I found it. I don’t feel quite so alone in what I am going through when I read blogs such as this.
Thank You for sharing your experiences because they really do help others such as myself.
Carla

Thank you for a truly honest, emotional and real account of life and depression. I hope that anyone who needs to know more finds this website and if I should ever need to help anyone close to me I will send the to your page. Best wishes to you.